We are extremely
fortunate that Davis will be visiting us here at Alfred on his way back from a
gig at Harvard! Please join us in
welcoming him at his presentation this Thursday evening.

Thurs 15th
March 6.30 pm

Room C, Binns Mirrel
Hall, NYSCC, Alfred, NY.

John
Davis has dedicated his career to working in small town arts
and community development, and is a nationally recognized leader on rural arts
issues. Mr. Davis is an artist, philosopher, strategist and national speaker on
rural arts issues and creativity, and is also an award winning visionary. His
work has been featured on National Public Radio; broadcast on C-Span, and also
featured in Corporate report Magazine, USA Today Magazine, The New York Times,
and on the NBC Today Show.

Davis is the founder
of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, the Great American Think-Off
and the Kids Philosophy Slam. His work has resulted in the town of New York
Mills twice being named one of the top 100 art towns in America, and New York
Mills has been recognized as a national model for rural economic development in
the arts.

Mr. Davis currently
serves as the Executive Director of the Lanesboro Arts Center and National Kids
Philosophy Slam. Davis resides in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

About

A melting pot of experimental activity The National CastingCenter within the School of Art and Design at Alfred University comprises two comprehensive state of the art facilities one specializing in Glass Casting and the other in Metal Casting. Courses are taught extensively in both areas fromsophomore through to Graduate Level. As a part of the Sculpture Dimensional Studies Division and curriculum, students can overlap disciplines and techniques developing skills from small scale to large-scale sculpture. Rich in history,both glass and foundry arts date back over 5000 years. Students learn ancient techniques alongside environmental practices and current digital processes andare strongly encouraged to push the practice into new territories. Special topics course in metal and glass are taught to explore hands on how the two disciplines can interact.

The 7000 square foot foundry houses a large wax working room, patina area, walk in sand blasting and anextensive casting floor with a fully electronic overhead bridge crane. Furnaces range from a high temp induction furnace for stainless and Corten steel, a 1000 pound coke fired iron cupola, charcoal fired ancient furnace as well as two gas fired bronze and aluminum crucible furnaces and centrifugal casting. Molding processes taught are lost wax, zircon, ceramic shell, green sand, clay, resin bonded sand and alternative materials. Future plans include adding a vegetable oil furnace to the Environmental Foundry. The brand new Glass Casting Facility includes heat recovery glory holes with a full range of kilns, a new CNC mold ramming press, and appropriate finishing tools.

Students studying at the National Casting Center are not only able to manifest their visions in materials and unparalleled technologies, they are encouraged to experiment with technique and are expected to gain experience in running thefacilities which provides them with valuable working skills upon graduation.Many students graduating through the National Casting Center are now in leadership positions as teachers, employed in some of the top fine art foundries and glass centers nationwide or have successfully set up their own studios.